Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page might read frsplitsecond.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them on time (no later than Friday, September 15). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The play Split Second takes place during the present day on the 4th of July in New York City, specifically Manhattan. The play includes the characters of Val Johnson, an African-American police officer who, on the night of the 4th of July, killed William H. Willis, a white male caught in the act of car theft who in turn decides to throw all sorts of nasty and degrading slurs and phrases at Val during Willis's arrest. Willlis's attempt os a=stealign the car is ultimately unsuccessful as Val kills Willis before he can get away with the crime. After the murder, the first person Val runs into, is his supervisor, Parker. Parker is a fellow police officer. Secondly, Val sees his friend, fellow African-American police officer, Charlie. Upon arriving at home, Val sees his wife, Aleya. Val's father, Rusty, is also featured in the play. The dramatic question of the play is: Will Val tell the truth about Willis? This situation arises after Val shoots Willis point-blank in the heart after Willis was hand-cuffed and repeatedly threw racial slurs and other hateful phrases at Val. Val tells Charlie and Peters that he shot Willis is self-defense, claiming Willis was charging at him with a knife when in actuality, Val alters the scene of the crime following the accident.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
The intrusion in Split Second is the scene when Val admits the truth of what actually happened on the 4th of July to his father, Rusty. Val visits his father Rusty in an attempt to mitigate his guilt for lying about what happened and to find a sort of affirmation of his choice. When he approaches his father Rusty and tell him what actually happened on the 4th, Rusty was the first person who Val told the truth to and instead of affirming Val in his choice to lie, Rusty condemns Val for ling and for killing Willis while he was handcuffed. Prior to this point in the play, the play has remained in a state of stasis as Val has killed Willis and has repeatedly told lies to Parker, Charlie, and his own wife Aleya. It is not until Val visits his father, does he tell the truth of what happened. Upon telling his father, the actions of the play truly unfold as the inner conflict between truth vs. guilt is displayed and explored in great detail within Val, the play's principal character. Because it is not until this point in the play that the action finally begins to really pick up, the scene where Val tells his father the truth would classify as the intrusion.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This is the day that Val, an African-American police officer in Manhattan, has killed William H. Willis, an unsuccessful white car thief, and proceeds to lie about how the murder took place.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question is whether or not Val will tell the truth about what happened between Willis and himself on the night of the 4th of July. The question is answered at the end of the play when Val decides to lie during his hearing and stay by his original lie that he told to Parker. Instead of telling the truth, that Vall decided to shoot Willis while he was handcuffed after being subjected to racist and hateful slurs/phrases, Val claims that Willis was coming at Val with a knife and that out of self-defense, Val decides to shoot Willis in the heart. We never find out if Val goes free without consequences after the murder or if he suffers and repercussions but it can be assumed since he lied, that he will walk away a free man.
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
The most obvious conflict for Val is his individual conflict with Willis at the beginning of the play. However, throughout the play's entirety, Val continues to face conflict with others as seen through his fights with Aleya and Rusty. However, the biggest conflict for Val throughout the entire play is the conflict within himself. Val is extremely lost as to whether he should continue to lie about what happened between him and Willis on the 4th of July or if he should come forward and tell the truth. The conflict stems from his lack of confidence in his decision and the guilt that he feels for having killed a man, even if he were continuously throwing hurtful and racial slurs at him. Val also feels the pressure of his father's legacy as an exemplary African-American cop in Pittsburgh which cause conflict within himself and self-doubt in his decision as well as conflict with his father as he fears he will never be able to live up to the precedent that his father has set forth. Becuase Val feels inferior, he decides to continue to lie about the course of events and at the end of the play, suffers the consequence of doing so by losing the light in his eyes.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The most theatrical moment of Split Second occurs when Val shoots Willis on stage. This is the most theatrical moment as it is the moment when a man dies on stage at the hand of another. The theatricality of the moment is created primarily through the sound of the gunshot. The gunshot is assumedly an exceedingly loud sound that will undeniably grab any audience member's attention. Theatricality is also built up by the amount of lead-up that is seen through the hateful slurs and racial jabs that are made by Willis that eventually lead up to the climax, his own death.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first image in Split Second, the image of the gun, helps to illustrate the idea that title suggests, it only takes a split second to change someone's life forever. The gun helps to further the idea that Val, in a simple pull of the trigger, took someone's life away from them forever in a matter of only a few seconds. This image is important as it shows how a decision that is made in barely any time at all, can ultimately lead to unforeseen consequences that can alter one's life for better or for worse. As seen in the play, the action that took place in a matter seconds caused Val guilt, despair, and conflict while in turn, it completely took away the life of William H. Willis.
The second image in Split Second is the image of the knife. The knife in question is the knife that was found on Willis by Val after he was shot. The knife was in Willis's pocket and Val used the knife to place in Willis's hand to make it look as if Willis was holding the knife when he died. Val used the knife as a cover-up for the murder, claiming that Willis was charging at him with the knife and that Val shot Willis in self-defense. In addition, the knife also serves as the person that Val has created Willis to be. No one except Val has ever met Willis, yet by pacing the knife in Willis's hands, it shows that Val has made Willis out to be this horrible monster who will stop at nothing to hurt someone. Val has created Willis to be a violent man, and the character's of the play now do not know any different.
Val's own face also serves as a powerful image in the play, at the end of the play, Val is described as having lost all of the light in his face. This is a powerful image because it helps to illustrate the point that Rusty made earlier in the play to Aleya. Rusty claimed that Val would cease to be the same person after telling a lie and this is made obvious through the image of Val's face at the end of the play after telling a lie and claiming his innocence during his hearing.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
The main theme explored in Split Second is the theme of innocence vs. guilt. Throughout the play, the main question is whether or not Val should admit his guilt in killing Willis in the manner in which he did, or should he continue to confess his innocence through the lie and fabricated story that he has created and shared numerous times. The idea of whether Val is really guilty for killing a man is explored through his interactions with Parker, Charlie, Aleya, and Rusty, all of whom have very different opinions. Parker, of course, wants to know what really happened so that the hearing can proceed without problem. Charlie tells Val that he can not hold Willis's death against himself as anyone would do it, especially considering the hate that Willis was throwing at Val. Aleya, of course, beleives that her husband is innocent and should tell a lie in order to protect his family. Rusty, Val's father, believes that Val is guilty for a killing man regardless of the circumstances. The theme of guilt vs. innocence and right vs. wrong are explored in great detail throughout Val's interactions with the other characters in the show.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
The most evident familial relationship that is explored in Split Second is the relationship between Val and his father Rusty. Val and Rusty have a rather disjointed relationship as detailed by their interactions with each other. Val seems to blame Rusty for sort of forcing Val into becoming a cop instead of allowing him to truly become his own person and make up his own mind about who and what to become since Rusty was a cop in Pittsburgh during Val's childhood. As a child, Val would receive fingerprinting kits and other police themed toys for Christmas, proving in his mind that Rusty forced him into becoming a police officer. Val places a large emphasis on his father's opinion as seen through Val's need of affirmation from his father regarding his decision to lie about the events that took place on the 4th of July. When Rusty is unable to support Val in his decision, Val becomes slightly distraught but in the end, ultimately decides to lie despite the advice that he has received from his father.
Copy and paste this worksheet as a separate page linked to the Homepage of your portfolio. DO NOT type your answers on THIS document because it needs to be used by other students. The title of your page which replies to these questions is linked to your portfolio and should begin with the first initials of your first and last name. (In my case, the link to this worksheet from my portfolio page might read frsplitsecond.)
You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them on time (no later than Friday, September 15). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Split Second. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
The play Split Second takes place during the present day on the 4th of July in New York City, specifically Manhattan. The play includes the characters of Val Johnson, an African-American police officer who, on the night of the 4th of July, killed William H. Willis, a white male caught in the act of car theft who in turn decides to throw all sorts of nasty and degrading slurs and phrases at Val during Willis's arrest. Willlis's attempt os a=stealign the car is ultimately unsuccessful as Val kills Willis before he can get away with the crime. After the murder, the first person Val runs into, is his supervisor, Parker. Parker is a fellow police officer. Secondly, Val sees his friend, fellow African-American police officer, Charlie. Upon arriving at home, Val sees his wife, Aleya. Val's father, Rusty, is also featured in the play. The dramatic question of the play is: Will Val tell the truth about Willis? This situation arises after Val shoots Willis point-blank in the heart after Willis was hand-cuffed and repeatedly threw racial slurs and other hateful phrases at Val. Val tells Charlie and Peters that he shot Willis is self-defense, claiming Willis was charging at him with a knife when in actuality, Val alters the scene of the crime following the accident.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Be careful when citing the intrusion, it may not be where you initially think it is.
The intrusion in Split Second is the scene when Val admits the truth of what actually happened on the 4th of July to his father, Rusty. Val visits his father Rusty in an attempt to mitigate his guilt for lying about what happened and to find a sort of affirmation of his choice. When he approaches his father Rusty and tell him what actually happened on the 4th, Rusty was the first person who Val told the truth to and instead of affirming Val in his choice to lie, Rusty condemns Val for ling and for killing Willis while he was handcuffed. Prior to this point in the play, the play has remained in a state of stasis as Val has killed Willis and has repeatedly told lies to Parker, Charlie, and his own wife Aleya. It is not until Val visits his father, does he tell the truth of what happened. Upon telling his father, the actions of the play truly unfold as the inner conflict between truth vs. guilt is displayed and explored in great detail within Val, the play's principal character. Because it is not until this point in the play that the action finally begins to really pick up, the scene where Val tells his father the truth would classify as the intrusion.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
This is the day that Val, an African-American police officer in Manhattan, has killed William H. Willis, an unsuccessful white car thief, and proceeds to lie about how the murder took place.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
The dramatic question is whether or not Val will tell the truth about what happened between Willis and himself on the night of the 4th of July. The question is answered at the end of the play when Val decides to lie during his hearing and stay by his original lie that he told to Parker. Instead of telling the truth, that Vall decided to shoot Willis while he was handcuffed after being subjected to racist and hateful slurs/phrases, Val claims that Willis was coming at Val with a knife and that out of self-defense, Val decides to shoot Willis in the heart. We never find out if Val goes free without consequences after the murder or if he suffers and repercussions but it can be assumed since he lied, that he will walk away a free man.
5. Use Val to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what Val wants (NOTE: In Split Second the wants of Val are in flux and he is being swayed by his father, his wife, his friend, and his colleague at work. His wants seem to change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that the character encounters.
The most obvious conflict for Val is his individual conflict with Willis at the beginning of the play. However, throughout the play's entirety, Val continues to face conflict with others as seen through his fights with Aleya and Rusty. However, the biggest conflict for Val throughout the entire play is the conflict within himself. Val is extremely lost as to whether he should continue to lie about what happened between him and Willis on the 4th of July or if he should come forward and tell the truth. The conflict stems from his lack of confidence in his decision and the guilt that he feels for having killed a man, even if he were continuously throwing hurtful and racial slurs at him. Val also feels the pressure of his father's legacy as an exemplary African-American cop in Pittsburgh which cause conflict within himself and self-doubt in his decision as well as conflict with his father as he fears he will never be able to live up to the precedent that his father has set forth. Becuase Val feels inferior, he decides to continue to lie about the course of events and at the end of the play, suffers the consequence of doing so by losing the light in his eyes.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Split Second.
The most theatrical moment of Split Second occurs when Val shoots Willis on stage. This is the most theatrical moment as it is the moment when a man dies on stage at the hand of another. The theatricality of the moment is created primarily through the sound of the gunshot. The gunshot is assumedly an exceedingly loud sound that will undeniably grab any audience member's attention. Theatricality is also built up by the amount of lead-up that is seen through the hateful slurs and racial jabs that are made by Willis that eventually lead up to the climax, his own death.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Split Second. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first image in Split Second, the image of the gun, helps to illustrate the idea that title suggests, it only takes a split second to change someone's life forever. The gun helps to further the idea that Val, in a simple pull of the trigger, took someone's life away from them forever in a matter of only a few seconds. This image is important as it shows how a decision that is made in barely any time at all, can ultimately lead to unforeseen consequences that can alter one's life for better or for worse. As seen in the play, the action that took place in a matter seconds caused Val guilt, despair, and conflict while in turn, it completely took away the life of William H. Willis.
The second image in Split Second is the image of the knife. The knife in question is the knife that was found on Willis by Val after he was shot. The knife was in Willis's pocket and Val used the knife to place in Willis's hand to make it look as if Willis was holding the knife when he died. Val used the knife as a cover-up for the murder, claiming that Willis was charging at him with the knife and that Val shot Willis in self-defense. In addition, the knife also serves as the person that Val has created Willis to be. No one except Val has ever met Willis, yet by pacing the knife in Willis's hands, it shows that Val has made Willis out to be this horrible monster who will stop at nothing to hurt someone. Val has created Willis to be a violent man, and the character's of the play now do not know any different.
Val's own face also serves as a powerful image in the play, at the end of the play, Val is described as having lost all of the light in his face. This is a powerful image because it helps to illustrate the point that Rusty made earlier in the play to Aleya. Rusty claimed that Val would cease to be the same person after telling a lie and this is made obvious through the image of Val's face at the end of the play after telling a lie and claiming his innocence during his hearing.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Split Second.
The main theme explored in Split Second is the theme of innocence vs. guilt. Throughout the play, the main question is whether or not Val should admit his guilt in killing Willis in the manner in which he did, or should he continue to confess his innocence through the lie and fabricated story that he has created and shared numerous times. The idea of whether Val is really guilty for killing a man is explored through his interactions with Parker, Charlie, Aleya, and Rusty, all of whom have very different opinions. Parker, of course, wants to know what really happened so that the hearing can proceed without problem. Charlie tells Val that he can not hold Willis's death against himself as anyone would do it, especially considering the hate that Willis was throwing at Val. Aleya, of course, beleives that her husband is innocent and should tell a lie in order to protect his family. Rusty, Val's father, believes that Val is guilty for a killing man regardless of the circumstances. The theme of guilt vs. innocence and right vs. wrong are explored in great detail throughout Val's interactions with the other characters in the show.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Split Second?
The most evident familial relationship that is explored in Split Second is the relationship between Val and his father Rusty. Val and Rusty have a rather disjointed relationship as detailed by their interactions with each other. Val seems to blame Rusty for sort of forcing Val into becoming a cop instead of allowing him to truly become his own person and make up his own mind about who and what to become since Rusty was a cop in Pittsburgh during Val's childhood. As a child, Val would receive fingerprinting kits and other police themed toys for Christmas, proving in his mind that Rusty forced him into becoming a police officer. Val places a large emphasis on his father's opinion as seen through Val's need of affirmation from his father regarding his decision to lie about the events that took place on the 4th of July. When Rusty is unable to support Val in his decision, Val becomes slightly distraught but in the end, ultimately decides to lie despite the advice that he has received from his father.